Jacob's Life: From Defiance to Dependence

Conrad Hilario
Genesis 27:41-33:11

Jacob was a stubborn man who often outwitted others. He meets his match with his uncle Laban. Jacob ends up being humbled and he changes from being defiant to being dependent on God.

The Tower of Babel

James Rochford
Genesis 11:1-9

After the flood, humans repopulated the earth. Building the Tower of Babel revealed their rebellion against God and their desire to exalt and rule themselves. God responded by creating different languages and scattering them over the earth. This event teaches us about pride and humility before God and how we can develop biblical humility.

A Portrait of Christian Leadership

James Rochford
Acts 20:1-38

Paul gives the Ephesian elders a moving speech to exhort them to lead faithfully. In this portrait of leadership from Paul, there are numerous lessons that apply to leading the church today.

Humility and Exaltation

Gary DeLashmutt
Matthew 23:5-12

Jesus emphasizes the importance of humility and God's opposition to pride. God is always opposed to the proud and He always exalts the humble. God does this by looking for: 1) our heart attitudes towards ourselves; 2) our view of human praise and recognition; 3) our fear of man or rest in Him. We can cultivate humility by cooperating with God in the process.

The Writing on the Wall

Ryan Lowery
Daniel 5:16-30

Daniel, now much older, again finds himself facing the ruling authority in Babylon to declare the truth of God. A once unknown historical figure, Belshazzar who was second in command, struggled with many lessons similar to Nebuchadnezzar, seen earlier in Daniel. Archaeological evidence found in 1854 confirms Belshazzar's rule. Previously, Daniel predicted Babylon's rule coming to an end at the hand of the Medes and Persians and now that defeat was underway. In the end, Belshazzar did not humble himself before God's Word but instead rejected evidence and denied God.\r\n

Humility and Power

Ryan Lowery
Daniel 4:1-37

God has been pursuing King Nebuchadnezzar for decades. When King Nebuchadnezzar has a period of time that is maddening, he writes about his personal experience of being humbled before God. \r\n\r\nRyan Lowery shares his personal story of how his pride kept him from seeking God, but how Ryan had a humbling experience that lead him to God.

Abigail

Jim Leffel
1 Samuel 25:1-35

Nabal refuses to help David and his men. David takes great offense to this and plans to kill Nabal and all his men. Abigail, Nabal's wife, hears of David's plan and she intercedes moving toward David with food, wine, and wise counsel. David recognizes God's presence in Abigail's words and responds with gratitude and humility for her discernment and willingness to speak truthfully to him. David gets clarity from Abigail's counsel and calls off the battle.

David: The Heart of a Leader

Jim Leffel
1 Samuel 16:1-21

God calls David "a man after His own heart" & selects him as King. David's heart is for God. Despite circumstances of life, David is transformed by the Spirit of God and his response is compassionate, gracious and humble. All character qualities necessary for leadership.

Betrayal and Denial

Dennis McCallum
2 Corinthians 7:10

Judas Iscariot notoriously betrays Jesus the night before Jesus's death, but Jesus's right hand man, Peter, also betrays Jesus by denying him 3 times. Both Judas and Peter feel sorry for what they did, but one ends up hanging himself while the other goes on to lead the early church. We will explore the difference between guilty remorse which leads to death and humble repentance which leads to salvation.